Orange County SC Falls Short in 1-0 Loss to FC Tulsa
USL Orange County SC

Orange County SC Falls Short in 1-0 Loss to FC Tulsa

Published on August 25, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orange County SC News Release


FC Tulsa came out on the front foot, immediately applying pressure to Orange County SC's back line and setting the tone for an aggressive match. That pressure nearly paid off early when Pedro Guimarães clipped Owen Damm just outside the area, earning a yellow card and handing Tulsa their first real opportunity of the match. From the ensuing free kick, Colin Shutler came up big for OCSC, springing across goal to punch the direct strike over the bar and deny an early breakthrough.

After weathering that early storm, Orange County began to settle into the match by slowing the tempo and dictating play through the midfield. Bryce Jamison tested Tulsa's defensive shape with a couple of well-timed runs in behind, but his most promising chance was halted by what looked like a clear jersey pull ignored by the referee, leading only to a Tulsa goal kick.

The game shifted dramatically in the 20th minute when Stephen Kelly was controversially shown a straight red card for a challenge that many in the stadium felt was harsh. The decision left OCSC down to ten men far earlier than they could have anticipated. Tulsa failed to capitalize on the ensuing free kick just outside the box, as Eliot Goldthorp fired well over the target. However, just four minutes later, the hosts punished Orange County when Kalil ElMedkhar rose highest to head home a cross, putting Tulsa in front 1-0.

Despite being a man down, OCSC showed resilience. They regrouped quickly, controlling stretches of possession and keeping Tulsa largely at bay. By halftime, Orange County remarkably held 62% of the ball, absorbing pressure while limiting Tulsa's chances to preserve the narrow deficit.

The second half opened with Orange County continuing to frustrate their opponents, limiting Tulsa's attacking rhythm and dictating the flow in midfield. In the 60th minute, Mouhamadou War entered for Jamison and immediately injected fresh energy, creating multiple looks on goal with his direct running and creativity. Tulsa, despite their numerical advantage, struggled to keep pace with OCSC's intensity and resorted to fouls to slow the game, collecting two more yellow cards along the way.

Orange County nearly found their equalizer in the closing stages. In the 81st minute, Vuk Latinovich narrowly missed on a towering header that had the goalkeeper beaten. Just one minute later, substitute Cheick Koné thought he had delivered the dramatic equalizer, turning home a rebound moments after stepping onto the pitch. However, the celebration was cut short as the assistant referee's flag went up for offside, a decision that left the visitors visibly frustrated.

With 5' minutes of extra time OCSC took the attack to Tulsa with a flury of cornerkicks and shots on goal.

In the end, Tulsa narrowly escaped with the 1-0 victory, but Orange County walked away with plenty of positives, demonstrating grit, tactical discipline, and the ability to control large spells of possession even when reduced to ten men.

Milestones:

TEAM FIRST HALF SECOND HALF FULL TIME

OCSC 0 0 0

TUL 1 0 1

SCORING SUMMARY:

24' Kalil ElMedkhar (TUL) - Assist Eliot Goldthorp

DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:

ORANGE COUNTY SC

6' Pedro Guimaraes - Yellow Card

20' Stephen Kelly - Red Card

43' Colin Shutler - Yellow Card

FC TULSA

10' Marcos Cerato - Yellow Card

45' Lamar Batista - Yellow Card

66' Boubacar Diallo - Yellow Card

67' - Kalil ElMedkhar - Yellow Card

95' - Owen Damm - Yellow Card

ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP: (4-4-2)

Colin Shutler (GK); Vuk Latinovich, Nicholas Benalcazar, Ryan Doghman[C], Ashton Miles (81' Cheick Koné), Pedro Guimaraes (46' Nicola Ciotta), Stephen Kelly, Ousmane Sylla (74' Cameron Dunbar), Bryce Jamison (60' Mouhamadou War), Ethan Zubak (81' Tristan Trager), Chris Hegardt

Unused subs: Tetsuya Kadono (GK); Tyson Espy, Gavin Karam, Efern Solis

Head Coach: Danny Stone

Possession: 62% | Shots: 14 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corners: 5 | Fouls: 14 | Offsides: 5 |

FC TULSA: (3-4-3)

Johan Penaranda (GK); Delentz Pierre, Abdoulaye Cissoko, Lamar Batista (46' Stefan Lukic), Owen Damm, Marcos Cerato (46' Giordano Colli), Kalil ElMedkhar (69' Alexander Dalou), Boubacar Diallo, Taylor Calheira (90+4 Trevor Amann), Eliot Goldthorp (69' Jamie Webber), Harvey St Clair

Unused subs: Cole Johnson (GK); Jamie Webber, Lucas Stauffer

Head Coach: Luke Spencer

Possession: 38% | Shots: 19 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corners: 7 | Fouls: 22 | Offsides: 3 |

Orange County SC v. FC Tulsa

2025 USL Championship | Matchday 19

Date: August 23, 2025

Venue: OneOK Field - Tulsa, OK

Check out the Orange County SC Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 25, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central